1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the general art of smoke and fire detectors, and to the particular field of batteries for smoke and fire detectors.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
It has been well documented that smoke and fire detectors and alarm systems save countless lives. Most such devices have some sort of battery. The battery can be a primary source of power for the device or it can serve as a backup source of power.
Whether the battery is the primary source of power or a backup power source, the battery will only work if it is present in the device and in good operating order.
The art has examples of systems intended to check the power level of a battery used in a fire/smoke detector. The art also has systems for detecting a missing battery as well.
While these systems are effective, there is still a problem that is not considered by these devices. The inventor has discovered that some people tend to remove the battery from a fire/smoke detector to use the battery for some other purpose, then forget to replace the battery. For example, children playing a game may find the battery in their game becomes low, and may desire to replace that battery. However, if no other battery is readily available, these children may be tempted to pirate a battery from another device. In some cases, the inventor has found that people will be tempted to pirate the battery from the smoke detector to replace the battery in the system they are presently using.
Of course this is dangerous since loss of the battery may endanger the operation of the fire/smoke detector.
Therefore, there is a need for a means for preventing removal of a battery from a fire/smoke detector.
A counter consideration for providing a means for preventing removal of a battery from a fire/smoke detector is that the battery should be replaceable when needed. That is, the battery cannot be locked into the fire/smoke detector, but must be removable when needed to replace the battery or to otherwise service the detector.
Therefore, there is a need for a means for preventing removal of a battery from a fire/smoke detector but which will permit removal of the battery when it is proper to do so.
However, in order to be most useful, the means used to prevent pirating of a battery from a fire/smoke detector should not require significant modification of the electrical circuit already existing in a fire/smoke detector. This will permit existing units to use the battery.
Therefore, there is a need for a means for preventing removal of a battery from a fire/smoke detector but which will permit removal of the battery when it is proper to do so and which can be used with electric circuits that already exist in presently available fire/smoke detectors.
It is a main object of the present invention to provide a means for preventing removal of a battery from a fire/smoke detector.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a means for preventing removal of a battery from a fire/smoke detector but which will permit removal of the battery when it is proper to do so.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a means for preventing removal of a battery from a fire/smoke detector but which will permit removal of the battery when it is proper to do so and which can be used with electric circuits that already exist in presently available fire/smoke detectors.
These, and other, objects are achieved by a battery having special terminals on one face of battery rather than on an end of the battery. The face-located terminals of the battery are sized and shaped in the manner of existing end-located terminals so the terminals on the electric circuit in an existing fire/smoke detector unit do not need to be modified and the battery embodying the present invention can be used in place of existing batteries in connection with the fire/smoke detector. Thus, the battery embodying the present invention is a single function battery and is not useful for any purpose other than the special terminal fire/smoke detector; however, it will readily be accommodated by circuits in existing fire/smoke detector units so no changes or modifications are required to use the battery of the present invention in an existing fire/smoke detector unit.
Using the battery embodying the present invention will permit the battery to be used in a fire/smoke detector and to be replaced as needed, and will permit the battery to be used in existing units, but will prevent that battery from being used for any purpose other than to power the fire/smoke detector. The battery embodying the present invention is a single function battery. This will prevent someone from pirating the battery from a fire/smoke detector and then leaving the detector without a battery.